Rain or shine, the show must go on.
On November 19, United Food Bank hosted its 19th annual Thanksgiving Food Distribution at the Mesa Convention Center. Despite the weather, it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. More than 80 volunteers, including our Holiday Meal sponsors, State Farm, the Arizona Cardinals and Desert Financial, showed up ready to work. With big smiles, they danced between cars, sang along to the music, directed traffic and loaded vehicles with all the Thanksgiving essentials, including potatoes, cabbage, grapes and of course, a turkey.
They weren’t the only ones spreading cheer. As the volunteers worked, a surprise “turkey” friend made a special appearance. Trotting from car to car, the turkey brought many smiles and photo opportunities to children and grown-ups all day long.
By the end of the day, 2,142 households and 9,835 individuals were served within four hours.
This distribution comes at a time when the need for food assistance has never been greater. Following the events of the government shutdown in October and the temporary pause in SNAP funding, United Food Bank and its partner agencies across the East Valley supported over 152,000 people in one month, marking an all-time high for the food bank. While the government shutdown is over, the impacts are still being felt across the community. In fact, the first neighbor arrived at 10:30 p.m. and slept in their car to ensure she could bring home a turkey.
“I don’t know what I would do without this program.”
“We don’t have to worry about whether there is going to be a turkey this year.”
“Every year, it just gets a little harder to make ends meet.”
These are just a few of the sentiments that were expressed during this year’s Thanksgiving Distribution. But there are so many more stories of why people need help. Let’s take a moment to meet some of our neighbors.
For many years, Carol was working as a real estate agent, where they lived comfortably. Together, they raised six adult children and are now proud grandparents to about 22 grandchildren. However, when her husband became ill, Carol made the difficult decision to leave her job to care for him. But between staggering rent hikes, medical bills and living on a fixed income, it has become a challenge to make ends meet.
For the past three years, Carol and Richard have attended United Food Bank’s Thanksgiving Distribution. But this year felt different. With prices rising, the need for food felt more urgent than ever. So, the food that they receive every year means even more.
“For us, [the food] means a lot. Knowing that there’s somewhere that we can go to get what we need to have a meal that isn’t just canned goods.”
This holiday season, John finds himself living inside his car, a reality he never envisioned for himself. And after losing his SNAP benefits in October, which had previously helped him get by, John is now trying to find new ways to feed himself until his benefits are reinstated. This is how he found United Food Bank.
“Seeing big events like this where people are being cheery and being happy…it gives me hope in society and humanity,” he shared with a broad smile across his face.
While this past year has been challenging for John, he hasn’t lost his sense of optimism. He admits a big part of that comes from the warmth and joy of the volunteers at the Thanksgiving Distribution.
As first-time food bank recipients, Nannette and her adult daughter arrived at the Mesa Convention Center together, hoping to get their hands on a turkey and all the fixings.
For both Nannette and her daughter, this year has brought significant emotional and financial strain. Nanette currently works at a bakery where she helps package and store all the baked goods. Unfortunately, even when she can stretch her income, it still isn’t enough to support her. Meanwhile, her daughter is a mother with two small children, both on the autism spectrum. Currently, she is seeking remote jobs so that she can care for them. However, finding employment that meets her family’s needs has been incredibly challenging.
As they moved through the distribution line, Nannette explained just how much the support meant to them.
“One of the scariest things is not having the basic needs,” shared Nannette. “For the most part, it just makes me have one less thing to worry about.”
And during the holiday season, receiving a holiday meal from United Food Bank means less stress during this hectic time.
As the rain finally cleared and the last cars pulled away, one message stands out clearly: while the need has never been greater, the compassion and community have been nothing short of incredible. During a time marked by many obstacles for neighbors, it is precisely times like these that serve as a reminder that community shines brightest in difficult times.
Everyone deserves moments shared around the table this season. To learn more about how you can support more of our neighbors during the holiday season, please consider donating to our Holiday Meals campaign.
For those in need of food or who know someone who is, we have several distributions scheduled for December. On December 17, we will have our next Holiday Distribution at the Mesa Convention Center. To learn more, visit our website at unitedfoodbank.org/events/.
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at United Food Bank. We are thankful for you!
Communications and Grants Specialist
Email: ifleck@unitedfoodbank.org
